The Funeral
by Wouter Jaegers
Summary: Donald Duck attends the funeral of a relative but it's not just gloom and grieving that's on his mind.


The funeral - A Donald Duck fan fiction written by Wouter Jaegers

It was a really beautiful morning at the cemetery, the sun already was rising high and a gentle breeze coupled with a temperature of around 80 degrees made for a cozy feeling. Regardless of the reason I found myself here, I couldn't help but to smile. At my side Daisy was hugging my arm but she had nothing to smile about.

In a way it was funny: my smile matched the smile of the picture I chose to use on his death print. And it also was that same picture that was sitting proudly on top of his casket. That picture depicted him as I knew him all of these years: smug, with his ever present "I'll always be better off than you are" look in his eyes. In the end though, he was proven wrong, he was born for good luck but in the end his life span was much shorter than anticipated. Heck even he himself couldn't have guessed that he would do that early.

Gladstone and I were always at each others throats, from childhood birthdays at Grandma Duck's farm until last week when he died. Gladstone always was a thorn in my side. I don't blame Aunt Daphne for trying to get me and Gladstone to get along, she was the runt of the family, my father Quackmore always told me so, Aunt Daphne was oblivious to everything that went on around her. Her husband always had money to spare so being able to think was never an issue in their household, Gladstone was the product of extreme spoiling and that miserable never ending luck of his. At those Childhood birthdays I mentioned earlier, Gladstone always got truck loads of toys while I had to settle for hand me downs from Uncle Eider because of Mom and Dad being so cheap. I suppose it was my mom's brother, Uncle Scrooge, who influenced how my childhood was going to be.

In a way I'm thankful to Uncle Scrooge for that. That rough childhood where you had to work hard to earn yourself a living had shaped me to what I am now. Gladstone never had to raise a finger to earn himself a living and I always resented him for that. But deep inside I always knew that that would get him in the end. Uncle Scrooge once told me that if he were to die I would be his heir because of me having worked my tail feathers off all my life, he really appreciated the honest-to-god hard working man I became. He told me that Gladstone's lazy ways and his "I'll always be better off attitude" were a clean signal that Gladstone would never have had the right stuff to inherit Uncle Scrooge's fortune. I'll never forget the day that Uncle Scrooge told me that, but until last week when Gladstone died I was never really sure about the truth in that statement.

I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard about Gladstone's passing but it was more the way that he died that caused me to raise an eyebrow. It was at Uncle Scrooge's warehouse where I was busy working my shift as a custodian for a minimum wage (but knowing that I eventually would inherit millions made the effort worth every sweat drop) when I suddenly heard a lot of commotion from the main hall. I heard screaming and shouting and suddenly the sound of a gun shot and afterward I heard even more screaming and shouting. When I went to see what's going on I saw several police officers carrying several members of the Beagle boys gang away in handcuffs. It seemed that the Beagle boys had tried yet again to pull an unsuccessful heist. But then I noticed somebody lying motionless on the floor, it was Gladstone. When I saw the images of the surveillance camera it was shown that when the Beagle boys stormed out, one of them tripped and dropped his gun which then had gone off hitting Gladstone in the back of his neck. When I was interviewed by the police they told me that the coroner said that Gladstone was lucky, he was killed instantly, no pain whatsoever. I remember rolling my eyes when I heard it, even in his final moment Gladstone had been lucky.

But the days after his accidental death it seemed as if things were finally were looking up for me. my relationship with Daisy flourished because of Gladstone not being there anymore to try to steal her away from me. And also because she was grieving about his death and I provided the listening ear and the shoulder to cry on she needed. Here I was with Daisy on my arm looking at Gladstone's casket and I was enjoying myself.

I then heard a disgruntled moan next to me and when looking up Daisy looked at me with an angry glare. "What are you smiling about?" she hissed "We are at the funeral of your cousin and you appear to be actually enjoying it!?" It was true, I was enjoying the feeling of knowing that Gladstone was gone, gone forever. But modesty and decency kept me from saying that to Daisy so I simply told her that I was feeling content with how the funeral turned out, I was the one who arranged the whole thing and with Gladstone's own fortune I was able to give him the full Monty: the best spot in the cemetery, a solid oak casket with golden leaf inlays, the best procession in the cathedral of Notre Duck and I even had money to spare after paying for all of that. Gladstone would have been proud of his own funeral and it was all my work. Because of me having worked my tail feathers off all my life, I knew how to get things going. Certainly Gladstone himself, lazy bum he was, wouldn't have been able to arrange such an ornate funeral.

Daisy nodded, Gladstone was lucky to have such a hard working cousin who stepped up and took care of things when he was needed the most. I smiled at quietly kissed her lips, she would never know how much I detested Gladstone and in a way he was lucky that it wasn't me who pulled the trigger of the gun that killed him because I'm not really sure that I would have shot him in a spot where his death would have been instant, I would have loved to see him suffer.

As we walked away from the grave Aunt Daphne spotted me, with a sad smile she told me that she was proud of me having arranged such a beautiful funeral for her son. I felt the eyes of my whole family look at me in admiration and it felt good, I endured several decades of hardship and bitter rivalry with Gladstone and in the end I came out on top of it. It was time for me to turn the page and begin a new life and Gladstone, that lucky son of a bitch, provided me with the opening that I needed.

"Everybody." I spoke up making everybody pay attention. "Today we said goodbye to a family member but to make up for the grief of our loss I want to make an announcement." After saying that, I took a moment to look around me, there was my family: Grandma Duck, my father and Mother, Aunt Daphne, Uncle Scrooge, Uncle Eider, my twin sister Della, Della's husband and my three nephews Huey, Dewey and Louis. As well as good friends such as Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie, Gyro Gearloose, Launchpad Mcquack and Goofy and his wife and son. I knew with them all witnessing this it would be a day to remember for more than just Gladstone's funeral.

"Everybody, I have thought about this for a long time and maybe this will not be the best place or the best time but I wanted everybody, my family and closest friends be there when I was going to do it." with that I retrieved a small black box from one of the pockets of my tuxedo and I went down on one knee. "Daisy, I love you, you've been such an inspiration and such a help in these difficult weeks, will you marry me?"

"Yes." came the softer than a breath reply.

The end.


End file.
